To sleep Perchance to Dream
by J3ZA
Summary: Please R&R, Flaming accepted. There are many people who think that dreams are just the brain clearing up house...this is not always true.The Dream world exists. It is a place between worlds. A place between dimensions.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I wake dazed and in a cold sweat, another nightmare. I look around the moon lit room then glance at my alarm clock. 3:00 am the green light display reads. I pull the sheets off my bed and clumsily stumble to the door. I open the door and the moon light pours into the once dark hallway. I close my door behind me and start down the once again dark hallway to the kitchen. I open the fridge and the bright light stings my eyes for a second. I get out the milk and pour myself a tall glass. It's cool and refreshing. I walk to the double glass doors. Peering out there's not much happening. It's a humid night and all is still outside. I turn, put my now empty glass in the sink and start towards my room again. I get back into bed and try to sleep but I can't seem to lye still for more than seconds at a time. I sit up. I look around my seemingly empty room. I don't know what I'm looking for, but nothing immediately grabs my attention. I glance at my alarm clock again briefly. Only 3:10 am. I have to be awake in another 3 and a half hours and just lying here awake is not a possibility.

I try to sleep again but still I don't even get close. At this stage I remember my dad sometimes can't sleep and has some sleeping pills in the medicine cabernet. Again I get out of bed and cross the quiet hallway to the bathroom. The mirror is opposite the window. I open the mirror and instantly spot the pills. As I close the door something catches my eye in the mirror, from outside. I spin quickly alarmed, but whatever was once there is gone now. I decide not to take the sleeping pills. The recent events have unsettled me so I go back to bed and begin to read my book via torch light. Then I hear a slight rumbling at the window at the end of the hallway. I tell myself it's probably the possums that have taken up residence in the tree above our house, but the rattling continues, and then ends abruptly. Again I convince myself its nothing and try to focus on my novel. Suddenly the all familiar squeak from my backdoor nearly gives me a heart attack and has me jumping out of my bed. It can't be possums now. I quietly tip toe to my door and turn the door knob slowly as not to make any noise.

I open the door slightly and pear out. I see a dark figure. I can't make out any features. It appears to be a man by the way its standing and its build. I try to look more closely but then he turns and I think he spots me. I shut my door quickly, and stick my desk chair against it. I hear footsteps coming ever closer to my door. I panic. What do I do?  
I look around my room again. I run to the window, and open it. Then slowly climb out. I touch down softly and close my window from the outside. It's at this point I hear the door rattling quietly. I'm not game enough to stay and find out whether the intruder gets in. I start to run as fast as I can down the old battered path at the side of my house. I reach the gate and its surrounding over grown grass and weeds.

I open it hurriedly but still making sure not to make a noise. I start to run down my street. I haven't decided where I'm going or how I'm going to get there. After running for about five to ten minutes decide to sit down. I sit with my legs crossed looking up and down the street I'm in. There are three working street lights which seems unusual for a street that appears to be quite long. I notice a bench of sorts under one of the street lights. It looks as though someone already occupies it though. I look harder at it appears to be a man, an older man with longish but thin grey hair. He is holding a news paper over himself to keep warm. Then my focus returns to my current situation. I have to find someone to tell. I walk to the end of the street where a street sign can be read. I know where I am now, and I now know where I'm going. I get my bearings in order and try to figure out how far it is to the local police station. If I'm right it should be four or five blocks. I start with a run but as I grow closer to the police station my energy seems to disappear and I am now doing a slow jog. I spot the lights from some distance away and when I finally enter the newly refurbished police station the officer behind the desk looks somewhat surprised to see me. I want to tell him everything the instant I see him but, have to sit down to try to regain my breath and put my thoughts in order. He calls out to someone else and another two officers appear from a door to his left. One comes over to me and gives me a concerned look for what felt like eternity there is dead silence. Then the officer closest to me breaks the silence by saying,

"What brings you hear, especially at this time in the morning?"

I try to talk but my throat is dry. I clear my throat and swallow. I begin by telling them my name and where I live,

"My name is Nathan. I live on Everd Street."  
"But why are you here?"  
"There was a man, a strange man in my house. Or at least I think it was a man."

The police officer asks if I'm sure it couldn't have been one of my parents or an older sibling. I simply reply by saying I'm the only child and both my parents were in bed shortly after I was.  
No one talks for a little while as if everyone is thinking hard.

Then the phone rings and the man behind the desk answers it. As he listens his attention slowly turns to me, he calls one of the other officers over and whispers something into his ear. Then the officer asks me what street I live on again.  
"I live on Everd Street" I reply, wondering what this has to do with anything. The officer signals for the other two to do something. They go into the back room and come out again in their full uniform. I watch them leave. They get into one of the police cars out the front of the station, turn their sirens on and drive hurriedly off into the dark of the night. The remaining officer puts his hand on my shoulder and simply says in what appears to be a deep and apologetic voice,

"Look, someone has called in from your street reporting a fire and smoke."  
He pauses briefly and then continues,

"We don't know for sure, which house it was."  
From then on everything is eerie, I can't hear him talking or the soft hum of the lights overhead, all I can hear is my mind racing a thousand miles a minute.

I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a police car, driving speedily towards my once quiet street. We arrive at the streets corner and even from here I can see the huge orange and red flames that look as though they are leaping from the roof of my house. We get closer, and then the car comes to an abrupt stop in front of my house. The officer that was driving turns to me and gives me a frown and jumps out of the car to talk to some other people that are standing outside. For a moment I'm paralyzed. My eyes set in a fixed glassy stare at the ever growing smoke growing above my once in tact house. I slowly reach down and unbuckle my seat belt. I open the door and with what feels like an Olympic effort pull myself out of the car to a standing position. I notice the fire fighters, three on the left and two on the right, holding hoses trying to get the raging fire under control. I turn slowly. There are now some police officers near a group of people, mostly neighbours and other people that live in the street. They too seem fixed on the events unfolding before their very eyes. Then it hits me. My parents were still inside when I left. My heart sinks and I begin to look around franticly, searching for any sign of my parents. Up ahead at the other end of the street more sirens draw ever closer. I can make out that it is an ambulance. It stops and the driver gets out and walks over to one of the police officers. The police officer shakes his head in reply to whatever the ambulance officer said. Then the officer looks at me and continues talking. The ambulance officer just nods and puts the first aid kit he was carrying down near his feet and looks at the blaze and giant tower of smoke. I walk to the edge of the street and sit just above the gutter with my head hung down. I can't comprehend what's happening, I keep hoping that at any moment I will wake up and have breakfast like I do every morning, but I don't. I just sit there for what feels like an eternity to me. I look at my hands and my knuckles are a pale white, I didn't even realise I was making a fist. I relax my hands.

"Have you got any relatives you can stay with for the moment?"

I look up and see one of the officers standing over me. I nod slowly and he helps me to my feet. He pulls his phone from his belt.  
"What's their number? You can stay with them until things are sorted out here."  
I think hard before giving him my grandparent's number.

"9475 6879." I reply.  
He walks a couple of meters away and starts talking into the phone. He looks at me briefly then returns his gaze to the blaze. He hangs up and says that he will drop me off. I climb into the police cars passenger seat. The car spins around but my eyes stay fixed on the house through the side mirror as we drive further and further away.

Please submit a review and tell me what you think or email me

Thanx J3ZA


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I arrive at my grandparent's house. It's a small cottage like house. A big front garden outside fills your nostrils with all kinds of smells as you approach the front door. The door is slightly open and crying can be heard. I open the thick and heavy door then walk down the short corridor to the open living room to find my grandmother crying and my grandfather trying to comfort her. The events of today haven't quiet sunk in yet. Everything still seems very surreal. Like a dream I can't awake from. My parents are dead. I'm somewhat of an orphan now. My grandparents don't work and they have little money. I have no other family. My dad's parents died in a plane accident. Both of my parents' were only Childs. My eyelids are now heavy and the lack of sleep is getting to me. The officer escorting me walks over towards my grandparents. I head straight for the spare room to catch up on some sleep. Luckily the sleep comes fast but the dreams that follow are all but pleasant.

I wake up and open the curtains next to my bed. The sun is now high in the sky. I look around for a clock but in the small cluttered room, I am unable to find one. I'm still in my pajamas, but luckily a small number of my possessions are kept and here. I walk to the closet and open the door. It doesn't open all the way because there are things blocking it, but it opens enough for me to be able to get to some clothes. I get changed quickly. I walk to the door of the spare room and down the creaky old stairs that lead to the first floor. My grandma is in the kitchen making lunch for my granddad who is out gardening.

My grandma hears my footsteps and calls out before I can even see her

.   
"Nathan, good to see you're awake. Would you like anything to eat?"

"No thanks gran I'm fine. I think ill go for a walk. Is that ok?"  
" Fine with me just let your grandfather know as you're going out."

I finish walking down the steps and pass through the living room.

"Will do.", I reply.

I then head towards the front door. I open the old door and close it behind me. I spot my granddad near the gate.

"Hey granddad"  
"Hello Nathan, where are you off to?"

"Just off for a walk."

"Ok then, but make sure your back before six, that when dinner is."  
"Alright, ill keep that in mind"

I walk out of the gate a down the street. I'm not as familiar with this area but I shouldn't get lost. After walking for a while I feel hear a voice. I look around but see no one. I continue to walk. I hear the voice again calling my name. The sky above starts to get dark and before long it's raining. I look around for cover but I'm in a no through road. But at the end of the street it looks to be an abandoned warehouse. With little time to think I just run towards it. The door is not locked. I walk in. Its dark, but I can still see the large amount of space ahead of me. To my right I see a smaller room that looks like it was once an office. The light is on in there and the door is shut. I walk slowly and quietly. I can't see through the windows, they appear to be painted black. I walk to the door and cautiously open it. I see the back of someone. They have their hair in a ponytail at the back. But the most unusual thing is their hair is a whitish colour. Then I notice they aren't sitting on floor but rather hovering a small distance off the floor. Something behind makes a noise, most likely mice. The person turns quickly revealing it's a girl. Her face is soft, her eyes are large and brown and her she has a fringe brushed to the side. The jumps up and backs away a couple of steps.  
"Who are you?" she asks.  
"My name is Nathan." I reply

"Well Nathan what are you doing here?"

"It was raining outside and I was merely seeking shelter"

"Ha"

And with that she turned to face the wall.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Names Crystal." She replies.  
"And what are you doing here?"

"I live here but not officially. I don't have any family and I'm supposed to be with foster parents but I ran away."  
She turns around and holds out her hand.  
"Well it's nice to meet you Nathan"

"Likewise"

I take another step forward and close the door behind me.  
"Crystal, how old are you?"

"14. You?"

"14"

"Mind if I stay here until the rain stops?" I ask  
"Feel free" she says casually.  
"Thanks" 

And with that all was quiet again. I sat on one side of the room and Crystal walked to the other and sat down. Then she closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" I inquire.   
"Meditating" she responds.

I sit back and rest my head against the wall and close my eyes too. I can hear my breathing and some of Crystal's. Then I listen closer and can hear the rain hitting the old roof and somewhere in the distance there must be a leak because I can also hear a constant drop, drop, and drop.

After about half an hours silence the rain has eased and it's now 5:00 pm. I stand up and Crystal opens one eye briefly to look at me.

"I think I'm going to head off now." I say quietly.

"Yeah, ok. Well it was nice meeting you. I guess ill see you around."  
"Well I don't mean to impose or anything but do u you mind if I drop by tomorrow some time?"

"No. I'd like that."  
"Ok. I'll see you then."  
"Bye"

And with that I walk out of the small room and into the large open space of the warehouse. Then back into the street. I continue to follow the path on which I came until I am finally at my grandparent's house. As soon as I walk in the door the smell of cooking and food hit me. Up until now I hadn't realised how hungry I was. I walk into the moderately sized kitchen and look through the oven door. Looks like lamb and vegetables, one of my favorites. I love it when mum cooks it, but that's when I remember and tears shoot to my eyes, making them well. I fight back the erg to cry and just take some deep breaths. Granddad is sitting in front of the T.V watching the news. But as for gran I don't have an idea. I walk into the T.V room and take a seat. Soon gran reappears and serves dinner. I finish everything on my plate and decide an early night can't hurt me. Before I can get to the stairs granddad and gran call me. They ask me to site back down at the table. I sit.  
After about 10 minutes of explaining I find out that the deed will be read tomorrow, but I will not attend. And the funeral will be in four days, which I will attend. I am excused and go straight to bed. 

I lye on the soft mattress find myself thinking as I stare blankly at the ceiling. Soon I feel the all familiar feeling of drifting to sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I open my eyes and I see nothing but blank empty space. I am standing on a white floor the stretches as far as the eyes can see. In the distance way off I see a door of sorts appear. A figure appears form inside the door and in front of him another similar door appears. And with that he is gone. I turn around to see a door fading into existence not 3 meters away. I brace myself as the doorknob slowly turns. The door opens wide and a light from inside the door makes it hard to make out any features of the person. The person takes a stop forward and I can hardly believe my eyes. It's Crystal. I only met her today but her hair and eyes are quite unforgettable. She sees me and smiles, but doesn't say anything. She takes another step forward and the door behind her disappears. She seems happy with herself for some reason.

"What are you doing here? Am I dreaming? What is this place?" I break the silence.

"Relax; this "place" is called Limbo." She replies calmly.

"Why am I here then?" I push for answers,

"You are here because I helped bring you here. You see this "place" is not accessible to all people. Only those whose minds are truly tuned and working properly can visit Limbo." She starts to walk slowly to the right

"But what is Limbo for?" I ask impatiently,

"Limbo is not the real world, nor is it part of the dream world. It is simply in between. I guess you could call it a stop over. Here you can choose to dream in your head, or choose to enter the world of dreams, where things are not as they are on earth."

"What do you mean?" I ask while following her.

"You see Nathan; on earth people are who they are, big, small, short or tall. But within the world of dreams a person can be a mouse or a giant. The blind can see, disabilities can fall away to reveal new strengths and weaknesses." She says now walking at a fair pace in the same direction

"So in this place the rules of life don't apply?"

"Ahh, but on the contrary, the rules of life are all too real and still apply in Limbo and the dream world. You see, if your body should suffer damage and ultimately die in the dream world, your body on the mortal world would also suffer the same fate."

And with that she stops, and turns to face me.

"But time is not measured the same in these worlds so caution must be expressed, I must leave now."

"How do I get back though?"

"Just picture a door in your mind, and then imagine it being opened and choose what's on the other side. Now I must go."

She turns around again and a door appears in front of her she flings it open and steps through it. Now I'm on my own. I walk in a single circle thinking about all that has been said tonight. I stop and close my eyes. I picture the door to the spare room in my head. The door opens and I see the room. I open my eyes and there is a door in front of me with that familiar pure white light. I walk through the frame of the door and before I know it I'm sitting up in bed looking around the cluttered room. I pull back the old sheets and slide out of bed. I walk to the nearby window and take a look outside. The man across the street is mowing the lawn and I see two people walking there dogs. I get dressed hastily and run down stairs. I see gran in the kitchen fixing herself a bite to eat.  
"Good morning sleepyhead." She says playfully, "Have a nice sleep?"

I smile back at her before asking "what's the time?"

"Last time I checked it was 11." She states after thinking for a second.

"Thanks gran." I say before I turn to head out the door and to the old warehouse.  
"What, where are you going Nathan? Aren't you going to have something to eat?"

"I'm just going for another walk, and don't worry about food, ill grab myself something while I'm gone."

Before long I'm walking down the street and towards the milk bar. I stop off at the milk bar and use any money I have in my wallet to purchase a packet of chips.

Then I'm on course to the old warehouse to meet crystal.

I arrive out the main door of the warehouse to find the door locked. I knock twice on the door and sure enough the door is soon unlocked and flung open by crystal.

The warehouse today seems less creepy and dark than yesterday. The light above are on and humming and the door to the smaller room is open and the paint from the windows is gone. Crystal is following not far behind me as I walk in the smaller room. When I see a bean bag couch sitting in one of the corners I turn to look at her.

"It's for you." She says through her giant smile.  
"Thanks. Where did you get it from?" I ask somewhat puzzled.

"My foster parents gave it to me but I never used it so I brought it here for you to use."

"Gees, thanks." I say while walking over to the small couch.

I plop myself into the chair and it soon adjusts to be quite comfortable.

Then I remember my dream last night, I don't know if it was real or just a dream created by me. Crystal must pick up on my uneasiness and sits opposite me on a small cushion. She opens her mouth to speak but stops. She stays quiet for another second then starts slowly

"About last night"

"So it was real, I didn't just imagine you there!" I but it

"Yeah, well, obviously you were able to open a door back home" she says smiling once again.

"Yes, no problems there."

"Good" she says whiled looking directly into my eyes.  
"I brought some chips, would you like to share." I say awkwardly.

"Sure, I'm a bit hungry anyway."  
I reach over to the chips, grab them and open them. I point the open bag towards Crystal and she gladly takes a handful. I reach my hand in and take a handful also then put the bag back onto the ground.

We lightly and eagerly conversed for sometime sharing laughs and thoughts, but when it came time to leave, I didn't want to go.

"It's getting late and I better be going." I say as I stand stiffly.

"Awww, don't go Nathan. You are such good fun."

"Thanks, but I have to be home soon if I want to leave the house tomorrow."

"Ok then. Good bye." She says with a sense of disappointment in her voice.  
"bye." And with that I walk out of the small room and into the larger one, I turn briefly to look back. I see Crystal leaning in the doorway, watching as with every step I grow closer to leaving.

I get home not long after to go through the now all familiar routine of my new daily life. It hasn't been long now since I started on school holidays and I still have a month and a half left of them before I have to go back to school.

Once in bed, I start to wonder what sleep will bring tonight, as I do this, I slowly drift and sleep finds me. I once again find myself in the cold and sterile place called Limbo. I get there and look around. I see no one. I decide I should wait for Crystal. I sit on the hard cold floor and cross my legs in anticipation. I look around again. I see in the distance no less than 20 doors opening. A small crowd of people pour from one door to another. There footsteps ring in the empty space, but as fast as they came they are gone. When I return my gaze to in front of me I see legs. For a second I am shocked but when I look up to see Crystals face I understand. She reaches out a hand and helps me to my feet. Before I can speak she simply says.  
"Tonight you decide where we go, just close you eyes and imagine anywhere you want to go."  
I'm shocked that she trusts me this much when its only my second visit but I do what she says and try to picture something.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My head is empty, I don't know what to imagine up. I dwell on my head being empty and soon a picture of the desert appears before me. I open my eyes not realizing what I have done and I see the door in front of me and Crystal is already stepping through it. I follow her. Once we are through the door it vanishes behind us. I look around to see a dry baron wasteland of sand. I cannot see any wildlife. I briefly glance at Crystal only to see somewhat of an amused look on her face. The sun is hot and beating down the open landscape with no mercy.

"Good job Nathan, I think you better let me pick the next place we go." She says still with an amused look on her face."

"Hey, that's fine with me, just make it somewhere good."

I take another look around at the empty landscape and when my gaze returns to Crystal a door begins to materialize. I walk over to it and open it. I step through cautiously not knowing what to expect. Once through the door the view is quite breathtaking. We are now standing atop of a small hill. Down below is a beaten path which leads to a small village. To the north, big luscious hills of green grasses and amazingly coloured wild flowers roll for as far as the eye can see. To the east of the village small pockets of farms can be seen. To the west there are mountain ranges and looking past them some of the mountains become snow capped. Crystal takes the lead by walking down the small path towards the village. We enter the village and there are busy bustling market stalls on the sides of the stone streets. The architecture is very different from anything I have ever seen in the real world. It's a cross between old Asian architecture and modern Western. Even though the village does not appear to be very technologically advanced, it is obviously well populated and thriving. Two patrolling soldiers pass us on the right, they are dressed in light armour, that resembling a samurai warrior without the helmet. It's quite a site and is hard to take it all in. I'm still following Crystal through the thick crowds of people on the narrow streets. When she stops she turns to face me simply saying "wait here"

I do as she says and lean against a wall awaiting her return. She returns carrying a picnic basket.

"What's that?" I asked puzzled

"Lunch" She states followed by a small giggle.

And with that she takes the lead again, walking through the strange streets of this village. I don't ask any questions I just follower her closely as not to get lost.

We start to emerge from the busy streets of the village and the road ends abruptly, but Crystal continues to take large strides. We now are heading up a bit of a slope. We continue to walk for another 5-10 minutes before she finally stops.

Crystal then looks around examining the immediate surrounding area. She then sits on the ground and sits the picnic basket next to her on one side. I follow her lead and sit next to her, but not too close. I look around and see all the wild flowers surrounding us. The grass is long and soft, but not too long. The flowers have so many colours. I look to find a flower next to another flower the same colour but it seems impossible. Crystal open she picnic basket and pulls out a plate, and puts some salad, what appears to be chicken and a bread roll onto it. Then she passes me the heavy straw picnic basket. I look inside to find a collection of delicious looking food. I take a plate form inside and put on it a bread roll and an assortment of meats that where inside the basket. We finish eating not long after. Even though the meal was small, it was very filling. I lye back on the grass and look up at the blue sky. There are a few clouds in the sky but nothing threatening rain. I watch as the white fluffy clouds blow across the sky. The sun is warm, and relaxing. I turn my head to look at Crystal. She also is lying on the grass. She also turns her head, and for a brief second our eyes meet. Then she sits up then stands.

"I'm afraid we must be going, we have spent a lot of time here already and in our own time it's possibly already morning." She says with a sad tone in her voice.

"Ok"

She says nothing more. She walks away to the side slightly and before long she is gone. I better do the same, as I stand to do so I see to the east of the village a door opening, but this is not that average door. It's much bigger and appears to be made of metal and looks very strong. Then up to several trucks pour out of the now fully opened door, closely followed by futuristic looking troops. The troops are wearing all black armour and are carrying very advanced looking guns. The villagers from the farms near where the gate appeared run in terror, screaming as they do so. I don't want to stick around and see what happens, and imagine my door and step through it quickly. When I awake, I see the new clock granddad got for me hanging above the door. Its 9 o'clock. I get dresses and walk down stairs casually to smell the sweet smell of pancakes and syrup. I walk into the kitchen to see gran slaving over the hot pan cooking breakfast. She sees me and throws a smile my way. Granddad is sitting and the dining table reading the daily newspaper. Gran finishes in the kitchen and in one hand comes out carrying a whole tray of pancakes in the other a small jug of maple syrup. Breakfast is delicious and very filling. I decide today I need a longer walk to clear my mind and think a little bit. I walk for a while and then come across a park. The many trees are tall and their branches droop low like Japanese cherry blossoms. The flowers are similar in colour; a pale pink around the edges growing brighter as it grows closer to the center of the flower. The trees are lined next to a path that is then in turn next to picturesque pond. The ducks float bobbing on the water and people walk past. I decide to go and sit down. I find a vacant park bench the gives a view of both the ducks and the trees. While sitting I listen to my breathing and concentrate on my thoughts. Sometimes you can take a lot of things for granted; like parents for example. I can now no longer feel their warm embrace nor see their smiles. I no longer have many of my things. Things and possession such as my mp3 player, phone, computer, old toys and clothes are all gone. I don't relies it, but a tear is growing in the corner of me eye. It falls and I watch it make its drop. Everything around me seems to slow down. People walk slower, the branches blow in the breeze slower. I watch as the small tear glistens in the sun as it falls, ever approaching the ground. It hits the ground and as it separates, everything returns to normal speed. I decide its best that leave now; I still have to tell Crystal about the events of last night after she left. Those people that came through the gate didn't look like they were there to make peace. I stand, but it is already getting dark and now big black clouds are gathering over head. I begin to walk and as I do so, it starts to absolutely pour. I pick up the pace and decide its best to just go home. I arrive home thoroughly soak. I go to the bathroom and get changed out of the wet clothes and into something a bit warmer. Dinners not for a while and going outside is not a possibility. I walk to the window and peer out only to see an empty street with water flowing down the gutters, and a dark unforgiving looking sky. So I just sit there, watching the rain come down.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next day the rain has stopped but the ground is still damp due to the cool conditions overnight. Just after breakfast I decide to go and tell Crystal about the other night. Last night I tried to enter the dream worlds but my mind was too muddled up and I could not concentrate. I decide to try and get there faster so I run. The ground is slippery and the air is cold and dry my throat as I breathe but I arrive safely. Crystal is waiting anxiously just out side the smaller room. When she sees me she runs up to me and hugs me. I can only stand there hands at my side, shocked. She realizes the look on my face and she lets go immediately and blushes but looks away.

"Sorry if I haven't talked to you in a little while." I say apologetically as I walk into the smaller room.

"That's fine." She says simply following me into the room.

"I need to talk to you about the other night, about the village after you left." I say in a serious tone.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asks worriedly.

"After you left, another door opened near the farms, well not so much a door as a gate. Trucks poured out and so did troops of some kind. Then I left." I sit down in the bean bag chair that is still in the same spot as the other day.

"Oh, this is grave news indeed. There is something I must show you tonight." She says while sitting down on her small cushion.

"What is it?" I ask interested to find out the answer,

"Well, it's called the great temple. Inside the many chambers of the temple is a prophecy. Its' as old as some of the first dreams and is very special. The dream world has one enemy however. They are called the Stutes. They are a dark and mysterious religion focusing on evil. They try to rule to dream world, and cast peoples dreams into nightmares every night. Up until the recent centuries we have been able to defeat them with great success, but recently the numbers of the dream worlds warriors has been falling and the dark side is growing, slowly but steadily. What you saw the other night was a conversion of that dream setting. Now it's only host to nightmares."

I am shocked, and find nothing to say.

"Are you a warrior for the dream world?" I inquire

"Yes, my parents where too, but they were assassinated as they slept." She says sadly.

"I'm sorry"

"No need to be sorry, it's not like you killed them, but my life is dedicated to protecting the dream world and vengeance for my parents death."

"How did you survive?"

"By chance, I was at a friend's house sleeping over when the attack occurred."

For about 5 minutes there is silence. I just think about everything that has been said, and wonder if I meeting Crystal was simply by chance, or something stronger playing a part in our lives.

The silence is soon interrupted by the soft beeping of my wrist watch indicating it time for me to leave already.

"I must go" I say softly

"Why, its not even 11am yet." She says pressingly

"My parents funeral is today, well later this afternoon." I say while standing.

"Oh, I see. Well I guess ill see you tonight then" she says still sitting on the small cushion.

"Ok ill see you later, bye."

"Bye"

The funeral is nice but drags out a bit. Only 10 people there in all. I'm still coming to terms with my lost and the realization I'm not going to see them again, but life goes on. We arrive home and I change out of my formal clothes but decide I'm not going to go out again today. The rest of my day consists of mostly eating, drinking, breathing and doing trivial tasks and jobs around the house.

I arrive in the now familiar whiteness of Limbo to find Crystal waiting for me. I walk over to her. She doesn't move but her expression changes to a happier one.

"Are you ready?" She asks hastily.

"Ready when you are" I reply enthusiastically.

"Good" she says while closing her eyes.

The door materializes in front of us and Crystal takes the lead stepping through the door with bright light pouring out of it. Once I'm through the door I can do nothing but stare. The structure is like the Parthenon in Greece, except it has a roof and is in perfect tact. The pillars shoot towards the sky and the sheer size is huge. Crystal starts walking speedily. I quickly catch up to her a walk along side her, through the giant marble pillars and into the big open spaces of the Parthenon like building called the Great Temple. At the end the long room with marble floors is a single desk with one person sitting behind it. There is absolutely no one else in the Great Hall. Crystal takes the lead again and this time I follow at a short distance behind her. She reaches the desk and starts speaking in a tongue I have never heard before. They man behind the desk is dressed in a dark red robe and just nods his head every now and again in agreement to whatever she is saying. He says something short to her and she turns around to face me.

"Ok, we can visit the Prophecy but we must be quick."

"Alright" I say anxiously.

I hear a noise and turn to my immediate right to see part of the floor falling away to make a spiral stair case descending. I glance at Crystal and she just nods her head at me then starts walking towards the staircase. We make our way down the darkly torch lit stairs until the stairs stop and there is a long hallway ahead of us. We start walking straight, and then there is a bend to the right. We continue down the hallways until we come to a large thick wooden door that has a little blue screen against the wall next to it. Crystal walks over to the blue screen and places her hand on it. With a few seconds there is the sound of clicking from behind the door then it swings open slowly by itself. We walk into the dark room to find a single light in the middle of the room shining down on a glass case. In the glass case is an outstretched piece of paper containing the prophecy. The piece of paper looks very old with the edges cracked ripped and torn while the paper itself is a darker brown colour. I walk up to the glass and press my hands against it peering at the piece of paper enclosed. It's written in strange characters. I turn around and look at Crystal who is standing with her arms crossed near the door, she signals with her head to look back at the glass case. As I turn my attention back to the glass case and the prophecy enclosed I see the characters change before my eyes from strange characters into plain English that I can read and understand.

The prophecy reads;  
"The original dreamer will be reborn to a mortal body, to lead the armies of light against the growing armies or evil. He shall come forth and defeat the evil in the epic battle where love shall be realised and the final battle for the dream world will take place."

I turn and look at Crystal again.

"Are you finished?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah" I reply

"Good, its time to go"

At the same time we close our eyes and make our doors to take us home.

I awake to find the curtains in the spare room already open and the sun filling the room with its natural light. I go down stairs only to find no one there. I look out the kitchen windows that are facing the back yard to see granddad in the back shed working on something. I walk into the TV room and look out onto the drive only to find it empty. The car isn't there so I presume gran has gone to do some shopping. The sky today is a dark colour and many clouds can be seen. I walk out the back door and hear it creek then shut behind me. I walk closer to the shed and can hear the circular saw, and as I come around the corner to face into the shed, the air is filled with saw dust. The sawing stops and some of the saw dust starts to settle as my granddad walks out of the shed.  
"Where are you off to Nathan?" he says curiously

"Just off for a walk, where's Gran?"

"Shopping of course" He says cheerfully

I laugh aloud then turn and start walking out of the driveway towards the old warehouse.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I arrive at the warehouse to find Crystal looking excited.

"Hello" she says enthusiastically

"Hello" I say curiously

"Guess what" she says still enthusiastically

"What?"

"Tonight we have to go and meet conclave"

"The conclave?" I ask

"Yeah. They are a group of officials and influential people in the dream world. They are looking forward to seeing you, and there will be some extra people there as well I've been told." She says smiling.

"Ok" I say putting the small backpack I have brought on the ground.

The next couple of hours are spent telling jokes talking and laughing with an occasional game.

I meet up with Crystal in the dream world as she prepares the door to go and meet the conclave. As we step through the door, a gust of warm night air hits my face. I look around to see we are in a small courtyard with garden and chairs along the outside of the circular courtyard. I look to the sky. Its night but it isn't too dark or cold. The night sky is filled with many more stars than I've ever seen before. It's quite a sight. Crystal starts walking down a path north of where we are standing. It's a narrow gravel path. It's at this stage that I begin wonder where I am. We turn slightly with the path and now I can see that we are on a hill top. As my eyes wander down the side of the hill, I can see lights from an ancient looking city below. Up ahead further along the path I can see columns rising from the grass and lights. We draw closer and we can see there are no walls or roof to this structure. There is someone standing to the side of where the path ends and the forum like building begins. He doesn't say anything as we walk past, but his eyes follow us in. Inside there is one marble table raising from the floor seating five people. In the middle of these people there is a middle aged man, short hair, brown with a touch of grey, to his left is a shorter looking man with a short brown beard and a serious look on his face. To the left of the man with the short beard is another man, he is skinny with medium to long hair of a blonde to brown colour. . To the right of the man in the middle is a younger looking woman, about twenty-five or so wearing a long velvet green dress. She has dark hair and bright blue eyes. Left to her is an older looking man with a long white beard and thinning grey hair. He is dressed in an elegant white robe. Inside there are small wooden seats on raised steps all facing towards the table in the seating the five people. By the architecture and clothing the people are wearing I can make out we are somewhere in ancient Italy, most likely Rome. I follow Crystals lead and sit behind her about 4 rows back. The person in the middle of the table clears his throat. My eyes search the other seats. There are two girls that appear to be the same age as me and Crystal sitting in the first row. On the left towards the back there is a single male about 16 or 17 or age sitting. On the right towards the front there are a line of about 8 older more official looking people.

"Welcome, I am Governor Hammett, leader of the dream world." He says standing, when he is finished introducing himself he sits again.

The lady to the right of him stands "I am Lady Aerabell, Chief adviser on the towns and villages of the dream world."

She then sits back down and the man to the left of the Governor, who has the serious face and short beard, stands "I am Captain Cadeyrn, Head of military and military concerns." He sits,

Then the older man with a long white beard stands "I am Kulma, specialist magic and the portals." He then sits as well.

The skinner member of the five stands, "I am Amadeus, scholar of history, the arts and religion in both worlds." He sits back down.

The Governor is the next to speak after the introductions have finished.

"I'm afraid the reason you are all here is a matter of grave importance. The Stutes as you all know by now are massing their armies, gathering followers and assembling them in one unknown position. The prophecy is set to come true, we must be alert and careful of spies. Captain Cadeyrn has his troops, but there are five here that will make an elite regiment."

Governor Hammett swings out his arm in the direction of the boy sitting on his own up the back to the left of Crystal and I.

"This is Gene. His village was recently destroyed and captured by the Stutes. He is an expert in martial arts and a gifted samurai sword wielder."

It's at this stage that my memories float back to me of the village that Crystal and I visited not long ago. The Governor's hand swings to the front to the two girls.

"These lovely two young ladies are Emaidd and Ameya. They are sisters sharing the closest of bonds. They are so close they can even Communicate in their minds to each other telepathically. They are also gifted in being able to control the elements, the weather and anything that is living or was once living."

His hand shifts in our direction.

"This is Crystal; she has the power of invisibility and Psychokinesis or Telekinesis, the ability to move something by thinking about it without the application of physical force. And this," his hand shifts more in my direction, "Is Nathan. He is the leader prophesied about; he shall lead our armies and the elite group in the final battle."

The next 15 minutes or so is some of the other conclave members sharing their information with us and explaining things. When the meeting ends we are introduced to one another again this time I can see all the other people in the crowd better. Ameya, one of the sisters, has a pale skin colour and long flowing dark hair, but the most striking thing about her is her eyes. They change colour seemingly with her mood, they change to amazing colours within a blink of an eye and are very beautiful. Then there is the other sister, Emaidd, she has half Asian, half Caucasian skin colour, Brown hair tied back with blonde streaks through it and has baby blue eyes. Then I am reintroduced to Gene whose village was pillaged and taken by the Stutes. He looks very Asian like the people in his village he has black tied back in a single pony tale and has Emerald green eyes. Then after I've met everyone again and been reintroduced Governor Hammett comes over to me.

"What do you think of your group?" he asks

"It's very impressive sir. But I am to be their leader?"

"Yes Nathan you are to be their leader, you are also to be the leader of the entire army of the dream world. You shall lead them to victory over the Stutes." Then he catches the eye of another one of the people that was on the table and goes over to talk to them. Then Captain Cadeyrn comes over to me.

"Greeting, I am Captain Cadeyrn head of military and military affairs." He says bluntly.

"I am Nathan." I reply

He chuckles, "I know who you are boy, we have been waiting for you. You are going to lead the armies of good against a force 3 times that of our own."

"What, 3 times the size of our own??" I ask shocked

"Yes, but we know you can do it" and with that he walks away.

I turn around to find Crystal behind me; she hugs me hard then let's go and looks at me for a second.

"Have you met everyone?" she asks

"Yes, I've met everyone here." I reply

"Good, soon it will be time to go back to out world, then tomorrow night you shall be training your skills so you can lead us."

I just nod. Crystal goes to talk to the Governor. I catch Emaidd's eye from across the room while looking around but she turns away quickly. Crystal comes back over and tells me its time to leave. I follow her back down the path from which we came until we are in the courtyard again. Crystal makes her door first and goes through. I look back behind me and can see Emaidd looking at me from just outside the pillars. She realizes I know she is looking at me and embarrassingly turns away to look down at the city below. I make my door and step through it ready to go home.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Being at home and not in the dream world seems like a waste of my time. I can't train in our world, and the only person I know from both worlds is Crystal. This morning though I have been thinking about Emaidd. I'm not sure why, but something about last night, I felt something. Today I can't go to see Crystal at the old abandoned warehouse because it is absolutely pouring rain, the sky is very dark and it's freezing outside as well, so I have to stay inside and find something to do.

As I stroll around the very quiet house pointlessly I find nothing to do and nothing that grabs my attention. I wish I could just go to the dream world but you can only visit it during your normal sleeping hours. There's nothing on TV and the radio doesn't get the best of receptions. So I decide to draw for a bit and try to read. My mind is very busy and it's hard trying to sit still for too long. I decide its just better that I wait for lunch and hope I can find something more interesting to do.

After Lunch the clouds blow over and the sun comes out. I put on a jacket and decide to go for a walk in the nearby forest on the edge of the town. I enter the big reserve and start walking. I feel a strange sensation as I walk deeper into the forested area. I don't have a map or a compass and I don't know the area very well but I keep walking. The more I walk the stronger the feeling gets. The forestation is thick and at times blocks out the sun. Many of the leaves and much of the ground is still wet from the earlier rain. I walk pushing branches out of my way and stepping over dead and decaying logs. I see a small clearing ahead. I get to the end of the forested area and the clearing is now fully visible. The light shining through the gap in the trees hits a small lake in the middle of the clearing. Along the ground of the clearing are longer grasses and wild flowers growing like a blanket for the ground. I look across the lake and see a figure, my heart jumps. I can't make out a face but they are wearing a scarf and a longer jacket reaching just under the knees. Their hair appears to be out. The figure notices my presence and the feeling from walking through the forest hits me again, this time a lot stronger. The feeling courses through my entire body from every hair on my head to ever toe on my foot. It's a feeling of warmth. I can't speak for a second I just stand looking across the lake at the figure. My hearts skips a beat again as the figure begins to move around the lake. As the figure grows closer I can see the persons face. I'm stunned to see its Emaidd, one of the sisters from last nights meeting. As she steps ever closer I can see her face better, I'm not sure if it's the light shining on her from above or her smile that the illuminates her flawless skin and brightens her eyes. The only way to describe her is breathtaking. She keeps walking until we are standing just opposite each other. I stick out my arm to shake her hand but in a single move she seems to bypass my hand shake and she hugs me. The feeling of warmth and the tingling increases. She steps back.

"I thought it was you, I could sense you in the area. I called you here." She says quietly.

I don't reply. I can hardly breathe let alone talk.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" She says

"I'd love to." I manage to blurt out

She turns to face across the lake she puts out her hand to the side towards me I look down at her hand as she does this. My eyes travel upwards from the hand to meet her eyes looking into mine. I hold her hand and we begin walking slowly.

We walk for ages just holding hands talking. It's magical. We eventually find a place on top of a hill over looking most of the suburbs below. We find a patch of grass to sit on that is soft but not too wet. We sit down and she rests her head on my arm. It's approaching Sunset, maybe 5 minutes till then. I have to be back in an hour and as for Emaidd I have no idea when she has to be back but I'm enjoying the moment too much.

"Do you think the final battle will be soon Nathan?" she asks looking out over the houses towards the horizon.

"I don't know, but I hope its not I still have a lot of training to do before I'm going to be ready."

"I'm sure you'll be the best leader ever."

She looks up into my eyes and smiles, I smile back. I look back towards the horizon to see the giant orange sun set and leaving an orange glow even when it is now out of sight.

"I must go" Emaidd says quickly while standing.

"Ok if you must" I say while also standing, "until next time" and I reach down grab her hand and kiss it softly. She looks surprised and blushes a little bit. With her hand now at her side she quickly leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

"Until next time" she giggles then walks off down the hill.

About 5 minutes later after I can't see Emaidd walking anymore I decide its best that I should be getting home as well. I walk the same way as I had come, past the clearing and down the same streets until I reach home. I walk in the door to find dinner is just being served. I sit at the table and try and concentrate but I can't, my mind keeps shifting to the events of today. I still can't believe I wasn't dreaming everything seemed so surreal. I finish dinner and watch TV for a little. I'm still very eager to start training. I got up stairs and get changed ready for bed. I lay in bed and it doesn't take long before the familiar feeling of sleep creeps in.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I miss the target again.

"You're not aiming right lad." States Captain Cadeyrn

He steps forward, lines up his arrow and fires, bullseye.

Kulma is standing at the back leaning against a table. So far this training session he has been pretty quiet which is a shame, I was really looking forward to the magical side of my training and powers.

"Try again boy, but this time before you let go of the bow string, think about what you are doing, think about where you want the arrow to go, how you want it to fly then open your eyes and let the arrow fly." Says Kulma in a soft gentle tone

I notch the arrow to the string, I pull back the string. I imagine the arrow hitting the target in my mind. I can see what I want it to do. I let go of the arrow. It hits just outside of the bullseye.

"Good shot." Says Captain Cadeyrn somewhat surprised.

"Just one part of your many skills Nathan, eventually the though process will take not 1 second for you to guide an arrow to a direct hit, but until then practise makes perfect boy." Says Kulma now standing straight instead of against the table

Captain Cadeyrn puts his bow down. "That's enough archery training for now, next is sword and hand to hand combat. Gene is here also to show you how to master a samurai short sword." He says

"But why the short sword? Why not a long sword?" I ask

"Because lad, short swords are lighter easier to handle and control and can deliver deadly blows in one strike if used properly."

We walk down the stone roads and towards a castle. All the training grounds that I've been told I'm going to train at are here. It's a picturesque castle, maybe in England or Ireland medieval times. We are currently inside the walls of the castle itself at the back of the barrack's training ground. We can now see Gene up ahead. He is standing in a fenced off circle. In the middle of the circle is the upper body of a person made from hay and near the outside of the circle is what appears to be my new short sword.

We get to the edge of the fenced off circle and Gene comes over and leans on the fence.

"You ready to start training?" he asks

"Ready as ill ever be" I reply as I jump the fence into the circle. Gene walks over to the sword on the floor and picks it up; he walks over to me and holds it out to me in one hand.

I look from the sword to his face. He nods and I take the sword out of his hand and unsheathe it. The sword catches the light and makes it look very shiny. I place the swords case on the ground and stand with the sword by my side, ready to begin my sword and hand to hand training. I can see Captain Cadeyrn and Kulma leaving but don't say anything. Gene walks overt to me and stops when he's next to me looking at the hay dummy in the middle of the circle.

"How's the sword feel?" he asks confidently

"Good, really good actually." I reply.

"Good, you're going to be using it a lot. Now show me how you would attack the hay person with a leaning shot."

I walk in front of the hay dummy and lunge forward pushing the sword into the middle of the dummy's chest.

"Good" states Gene "Now show me a slash"

I hold the blade on an angle and slash near the dummy's throat.

"Excellent." He compliments me again "you're not too bad with a blade."

"Well I've never held one before, so I don't know where all this is coming from." I reply.

He chuckles then takes me through some stances while holding the blade and a couple of more attacks before we finish up with the blade. During the hand to hand training, Gene uses a lot of martial arts. He says I'm a fast learner, I doubt it but ill take a compliment whenever I can get one. When we are about to finish hand to hand training for the day, I notice Kulma walking slowly towards the Circle.

"How was your training?" He asks as I jump over the fence around the circle

"It was ok."

"I come bearing some bad news."

"What is it?" I ask

"The armies of dark are massing soon and faster than we expected, they will attack sooner than expected." He replies

"How long do we have?"

"Two, three, four days at the maximum."

"This isn't good" I state

"Yes we know, that's why we have decided to fast track your learning. The portals to the dream world are now open anytime, not just only during normal sleep times, this will be better if they try to attack when we are not expecting it."

I stay quiet for a second then ask "What if I'm not ready when they attack?"

"Don't worry Nathan, you will be ready." He replies

"But what if I'm not? Then what will happen, the dream world will be lost and it will be my fault. I don't want that kind of responsibility! I don't want to be great and a saviour!"

"Nathan calm down. I can guarantee you will be ready, and don't doubt you're self.

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. It's time for you to leave for now; I'll see you when you're ready to train again."

"Okay." So I make my door and go home.

I awake in the bed in what is now my room. The curtains are still closed, which means I must have left a little bit early. I get up and dress in loose lightweight clothes. I silently walk down the stairs. I get to the front door and try to be as quiet as I can. I decide that I'm going to the park to practice some of the things Gene showed me. While walking to the park I practice some of the breathing exercises Gene taught me. This morning I feel more relaxed and energized overall I feel great. The sun is still rising when I get to the park and start practising. It's pretty quiet around and theres no one to disturb me. I practise for about an hour and still have some energy left so I decide to jog the long way home.

I get to the gate of the house and open it, I walk to the front door and as soon as I step inside Gran pounces on me.

"Where were you? I was worried sick!" She says in a loud voice before coming over and hugging me.

"I just went for a run, I would have told you but you were still asleep." I reply

"Well in that case don't do it again, and breakfast is going to be ready soon so don't go anywhere!"

"Don't worry Gran, I'm too hungry to go anywhere."

Breakfast was delicious, but I got thinking about how I haven't seen Crystal in about 2 days. I decide I should go and see her today then get an early start on my training. I take the familiar route to the warehouse, I find the door unlocked and walk in, no one is in the larger section of the warehouse so I continue to proceed to the smaller room. I open the door of the smaller room to find Crystal sitting on the bean bag chair reading a book.

"Hello stranger." She says cheerfully as she looks up form her book.

"Hello." I reply equally as cheerful.

"Have a seat." She says pointing to another bean bag.

"Thanks, I think I will."

"So what have you been doing apart from your obvious flirting?" She asks mockingly

"How did you hear about that, and it wasn't even flirting we were just walking and some talking" I reply somewhat confused.

"Sure, sure." She states also mockingly

"Fine don't believe me, see what I care" I state strongly.

"How is Emaidd anyway, Governor Hammett tells me you two have been seeing a lot of each other."

"Then he has been gravely misinformed I am I afraid." I say standing from the bean bag chair. "I can't stay long I just came to see how you were."

"Well I'm fine, thanks for asking." She replies

"That's good. I better be off then, don't want Gran to worry again."

"Ok, well it was nice seeing you again stranger." She says once again cheerful

It doesn't occur to me until I get half way home that she sounded jealous about me and Emaidd, not that there's anything going on between us……… yet.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I arrive at the training grounds and look around for someone to ask what I'm doing today. I spot Kulma not too far ahead of me talking to Emaidd and her sister Ameya. They finish talking and Emaidd and Ameya start walking towards me with linked arms, they smile and giggle as they pass me on my right. My eyes are fixed on Emaidd. Kulma is now standing in front of me.

"Today I think you will be working with me for a while then I'm not sure who you will work with but we can figure these things out as we go."

I nod in agreement.

"Follow me then." He says as he turns and starts to walk. "Today you will learn to cast a fireball, but I warn you in battle everyone has a life force, an internal energy, every time you use magic it takes form this store. Be wise in how you use what ever I teach you."

I keep his words in mind while I follow to a secure training room.

"Inside this room your own energy won't be used but an artificial one, just remember when your outside this room it's your own energy being used." He states again

"Okay" I say simply.

We walk in the room but it doesn't feel any different from a normal room. The room is large and long. Where we walk in is a circle shape but to one side the circle stops and there is a gap with a corridor stretching down. At the end of that corridor are some dummies. I notice a red circle on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Stand in that circle on the floor." Kulma says "Make sure to be facing down the corridor, that's where the fireballs will be going."

I stand in the middle of the circle facing down the corridor towards the dummies.

"Focus your energy to you hands, feel the energy surging to you hand. Take that energy and focus on it turning into heat."

As I do what he says my hand begins to feel funny.

"Focus on your hand, Make the energy turn to heat, then fire."

I try as hard as I can, think fire, think fire. All of a sudden the air around my hand combusts and there is a small flame around my hand.

"Excellent, now focus more energy on making it grow."

I do as Kulma says and the fireball grows larger until it's quite big.

"You can stop trying to make it grow now. But you must get ready to throw it, when you try to throw it its good to get the motion then think about the energy leaving your hand and flying in the direction your hand goes."

I look down at my hand now carrying a fireball and think about how I am going to throw it.

"Now aim for the dummy down the end of the corridor."

I look straight at the dummy and pull my arm back as if I were throwing a tennis ball, then I fling my hand forward and release the energy in my hand, this sends the fireball hurling at a great speed down the corridor towards the dummy. When the fireball hits the dummy in the chest the flames wrap around the rest of it as if the flames were hugging it. The fireball soon dies down until nothing remains of it. I can see the burn marks on the dummy's chest clearly.

"Excellent, excellent, that was really good Nathan, but if you keep practicing you will be able to do this."

Kulma starts to walk over to me and I step out of the circle. He steps in the circle and doesn't do anything for a second. Then I see small fireballs in each of his hands. With nearly no effort at all she sends fireballs hurdling down the corridor at incredible speeds, one after another. After about 10 straight hits to the dummy's head he stops and looks at me with a smile on his face.

A middled age man comes striding into the room and walks over to Kulma and whispers something in his ear and hands him a small piece of paper. He reads the piece of paper and looks at me.

"I must leave, I have some business to attend to, is it alright if you stay and practice here by yourself for a while?" he asks calmly

"Yeah that's fine I'll just stay here and practice" I reply

The man that brought the note turns and starts walking away, Kulma turns and follows him.

I step back inside the circle and repeat the process shown to me by Kulma.

After about 2 hours after Kulma left I'm still pumping out fireballs and getting quite good at it. I hear footsteps approaching for the first time in a while. Kulma pokes his head around the corner and smiles and me.

"Your magic training is finished for now, just remember what I have told you." He states

"Okay, but where am I to go now?" I ask quickly

"You can't go home yet so you'll have to find somewhere else to train or someone to occupy your time with." She smiles at me strangely before adding "Emaidd is still here you know."

Now I understand the smile and don't say anything else I just walk out. Why does everyone think me and Emaidd like each other, well I have to admit I think I like her but I cant tell, my feelings are blurred. I decide that I'm just going to go practice some martial arts and meditation. I find a quiet spot under a big tree and sit underneath it. After about 15 minutes a sudden voice interrupts my meditation.

"Hello"

I open my eyes and look up. Its Emaidd, the sun is behind her and it makes it look like she's glowing, she looks amazing as always.

"Hello" I reply

"May I join you and sit."

"Of course, feel free." I say

She sits next to me and examines the area around us by looking side to side. It looks to be about mid day in this world. The sun is high in the sky and the sky is a soft baby blue with an occasional fluffy cloud making an appearance.

"Nice spot," she compliments

"Thanks"

"So, what have you been doing here?" she asks

"Mostly training, getting ready for the big fight."

The trees branches above sway gently in the breeze, and the leaves that fall of their branch dance as they are carried along. I look at Emaidd, she's smiling softly as she looks down the hill towards the grand castle surrounded by a light blue moat.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" she asks

"Very" I reply still looking at her "What were you doing here?" I ask changing my tone of voice to a more serious one.

"Me and Ameya had to talk to Kulma." She responds now looking at the ground in front of her.

I nod but don't say anything else.

"I've heard rumours that the Stutes are massing faster than expected, some say we have no more than two days until they decide the battle shall take place." She says still looking at the ground.

"So I've heard, Kulma mentioned something like that." I reply

After I say that I look back to the hill and see Kulma approaching. I stand up and Emaidd does the same.

He gets up the hill and stands smiling at us before saying, "May I speak to Nathan privately please?"

Emaidd nods and starts to walk away. Kulma walks over to me.

"The fight is approaching Nathan, today we got information confirming what we had feared. The night your parents died, the man in your house was one of Tavara's right hand men. Tavara wanted you dead before the battle was fought so he could triumph and take the dream world."

I feel rage swelling inside me.

"Calm yourself Nathan, save your anger for the battle." Kulma says "You must continue to focus on your training for the fight; our armies are starting to come together as well. The elite group is going to be a big factor in this battle as well, I hope your ready in time to fight Tavara…"

"WHAT??? Since when did I have to fight him?" I ask shocked

"It's written that the leaders shall clash, the one who rises from the dust victorious shall lead his side onto victory. That's why you have to train so much, you have to be able to take everything he's got, and give him some back. Now your training is finished for tonight you must return to your own mortal world before someone begins to worry. Someone will meet you here tomorrow and inform you on what is happening."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After another boring day of doing nothing I'm in the dream world again waiting at the old tree for someone to tell me what I'm supposed to be doing. I hear heavy panting and running footsteps. I stand and look behind the tree. A man is running this way at a great speed. He reaches me in nearly no time at all.

"Nathan you have to come quickly." He says panting

"Come where?" I ask

"To the great hall, come quickly you have been sent for." He turns around and starts sprinting, I follow him and try to keep up as best I can. When we get to the great hall inside the city's gates he stops and turns to me.

"In there, go in there." He says pointing to the large wooden doors of the great hall.

I walk into the doors and see people running around inside, swapping pieces of paper and talking. I see towards the back of the hall is the entire conclave standing around a table looking at the wooden pieces standing on it. They spot me and the governor is first to speak.

"Grave news I'm afraid Nathan, their armies are marching. Not in this part of the dream world but another. Their army's numbers have been confirmed; 9,000 soldiers, not including Tavara's personal party."

"How many in his personal party?" I ask worried

"Only 5, some of our soldiers have been sent to a place where they will be seen and the armies will stop marching and prepare for the fight."

"How many soldiers do we have that can fight?"

"Our army is only 3,000 in numbers, they out number us greatly." Butts in Captain Cadeyrn, "plus the 5 elite."

I look at the faces of the conclave, their faces show signs of obvious distress and uncertainty.

"When will our full forces be deployed?" I ask curiously

"Not long, maybe a couple of minutes until everyone knows and begins to move." Captain Cadeyrn replies.

"When will the elite group be sent in?" I ask looking at the pieces on the table.

"The rest of the elite will be here very soon, and then we will send you straight to the battle. Hopefully it wouldn't have started by the time you get there."

After Captain Cadeyrn says this, the sisters Emaidd and Ameya walk in soon followed by Gene, the sole survivor of the village that was pillaged and taken by the Stutes.

"Great, now that all the elites are here we can send you through." Says Governor Hammett

"I'll take them to the portal" says Captain Cadeyrn "follow me" he says now looking at us.

He begins to walk and we follow him outside, he walks to the town square where there is a big oval standing straight in the air. The oval is very thin, as thin as paper and you can see into it.

"That's the portal," points out Captain Cadeyrn, "When your ready just step through it and you will be at the battle. Good luck" then he turns and begins to walk back towards the towns hall.

Gene steps through portal first, then Crystal steps through, then Emaidd then Ameya. Lastly it's me. Once I've stepped through the portal I can see the landscape. We are currently on an elevated cliff over looking the ground that slopes down before evening out. I can see some of the Stutes soldiers in the distance. The sky is dark, very dark, but there is still light enough to be able to see clearly. There is no vegetation in sight just a blue and gray coloured soil. I turn and look around and see some of our own troops. Some are sharpening weapons, some appear to be praying and some are just waiting.

"Who's in charge?" I yell, for a second there is no answer, "Who is the commanding officer here?"

"I am sir" I man steps out from behind some troops.

"Good, how many archers do we have?" I ask hastily

"Ahh, just under 1000 I think sir." He replies in a scared tone

"Good, get them lined on this ridge, foot soldiers with swords are to be at the front under the ridge, and if we have any spearmen they are to be behind the swordsmen."

"Yes sir." He replies before he turns and starts to yell orders at the other soldiers. Slowly the soldiers begin to look more organised and now all the soldiers are here we can be properly prepared. We have an advantages spot on the ridge with archers but we will all have to really try hard if we are to win.

"All soldiers are ready sir." The officer comes and tells me as I stand peering out over the ridge at the Stutes looking for any sign of movement.

"Excellent." I reply, he walks away and then a horn from far away sounds. The sound of thunder begins to sound out through the skies. Flashes of lighting make the armies more visible to each other. Our soldiers stay still waiting, watching.

"This is it boys, this is the fight you have waited your whole lives for, to protect the entire dream world. Fight as best you can, that is all I can ask from you." I say loudly while pacing the edge of the ridge.

The horn sounds again. Foot steps can be heard gradually picking up speed. They are coming.

"For the dream world" I yell  
"For the dream world" everyone yells back

"For everything and everyone we hold dear."

"For everything and everyone we hold dear." They yell back

"Archers be ready, wait for my signal." I state

The Stutes are getting closer. Their armour can be seen clearer now. They wear no helmets and their chest is covered with a shaped piece of metal. They on their legs also have some protection, from the bottom of their shins to just under their knees they have a moulded metal guard. They carry shields as well. Our own armies armour consists of some having helmets and chest guards and shields to some only having chain mail and a shields.

"Archers fire!!" I yell, as soon as I do hundreds of arrows shoot through the air hurdling towards a charging army. As the arrows hit the enemy some fall but their spots are soon taken by more soldiers behind them.

"Elites follow me! Archers fire at will!" I yell

I start making a fireball as I walk to the front of the soldiers through all of the troops. Gene gets his samurai sword out and holds it ready. Ameya has a long bow and it is drawn ready. Crystal has a mace and sword. Emaidd has two axes at her side ready. I have a bow on my back and two samurai short swords also, but at the moment I am only carrying a fireball in each hand. We get to the front of the troops and the arrows are still flying from our archers. I throw my fireballs, as they hit enemy soldiers charging they send the people around them flying as well, some even catching on fire.

I now draw my swords, one in each hand and start to run forward, Gene does the same followed by Crystal, followed by Emaidd. Ameya starts to head back to the ledge to take control of the archery unit and use her own bow. Then the rest of our army starts to charge. We clash with the Stutes. I stick my sword in one of their chests, penetrating the armour and with the other hand cut the throat of another soldier running at me. I pull the sword out of the soldier's chest and look around for my next kill. Gene slices at a soldiers head then kicks someone behind him with backwards martial arts kick. Crystal is flinging her mace over head and then sending it flying at unsuspecting troops sending them flying through the air. Emaidd throws one of her axes and gets the enemy right in the head. She then runs speedily towards the corpse pulling the axe out and engaging in combat with another soldier. I look to the horizon where the Stutes came form and can see five figures standing watching. I make my way through the Stutes using my swords to great effectiveness, swinging and slashing at vulnerable places where no armour is worn. I can see behind me as I glance that the other 3 elites are doing the same. Ameya is still on the ledge with the so far untouched archers. I see that up ahead there are a small number of archers. I sheath my swords and prepare both my hands. I make smaller fireballs but at a much faster rate. I send them hurdling towards the enemy soldiers killing nearly all of the archers. I feel my energy levels drop. I fight on now unsheathing my swords again and running up to the remaining archers dodging arrows while I get there. I can see Emaidd close her eyes, and then a second later lighting comes shooting from the sky striking each of the remaining archers. I look at her in disbelief but she only smiles back. The archers are out of the way but now there are more foot soldiers. The 4 of us continue to fight forward until we manage to break through the soldiers. I look back and can see that we have come a long way and we are no longer under the protection and help of our archers. We walk forward slowly weapons at the ready.

"Hello Nathan." I hear the dark raspy voice before I see the person who said it. I look up to see who I suspect Tavara about 5 meters away. He is holding a long sword that looks very heavy but equally as powerful, to his right there is a woman dressed in all black holding a sword as well but hers is shorter and curved on a funny angle. "Let me introduce myself, I am Tavara, Leader of this fine army, to my right is Biana."

To Tavara's left is a man, young and rugged looking, he is carrying a large battle axe. Next to Biana is another man, this one is older and carries a cross bow.

"To my left is Hafiz, and to Biana's right is Kiva. You might be interested to know Nathan, Hafiz started the fire in your house, but don't take it personally." He says the last bit as he and Hafiz chuckle. I can feel the anger inside of me raging.

Lastly there is a man next to Hafiz. I can't see his face because his face is hidden in the shadows of the hood he is wearing. He holds 5 knives in each hand.

"And last in my party is Volker." States Tavara "Now that the introductions are over we can get into the fun part." As he says this Volker throws a knife straight at Genes face. Gene with his high reflexes is able to dodge it, but it was a close one. Then Hafiz runs at Emaidd, and Biana charges towards Crystal. Tavara just stands there with Kiva watching me. I look at what's happening with the fighting.

Gene is dodging and blocking Volker's knives. Volker soon runs out of knives so he starts to fight hand to hand, Gene now has his sword sheathed and is also using no weapon. Many blows are exchanged while the fighting continues.

Suddenly an arrow goes whizzing past my face, I look back towards Tavara and Kiva. Tavara is smiling and Kiva is just doing something with his crossbow. Tavara out of no where comes charging towards me. I get both my short swords in hand and prepare. Tavara swings his large sword, I block but his hit is very strong. I agilely step to the side and slash him on his upper arm. He lets out a grunt and turns to face me and starts to charge again. Everyone else is still fighting, I keep moving quickly to avoid Tavara and his giant swings. He swings his sword horizontally and I duck to avoid it, while I'm ducking I use one of my swords to hack at one of Tavara's legs. He screams with pain and kicks me, which sends me flying. When I get up Tavara is looking at his wound. I look to how Emaidd is going. I am struck with terror. Emaidd is doing well against Hafiz but behind her she doesn't realise that Kiva is lining up his crossbow for a shot straight into her back. I think quickly and look on the ground around me. I spot one of Volker's knives lying on the ground and pick it up quickly. I throw the knife and it hits Kiva in the side of the nick. He drops his loaded crossbow and it hits the ground facing up, the impact of the fall triggers the crossbow and the arrow fires upwards straight through the bottom of Kiva's mouth and the top of it sticks out of his head. His body falls slowly. I look across to Crystal as I move around ready to attack Tavara. Crystal and Biana have been fighting for a while, Biana swinging and slashing and Crystal but crystal keeps using her shield to block. Biana manoeuvres her sword past Crystal's shield and slightly cuts her hand. Crystal spins around dropping her shield. Biana then hits Crystal on her shoulder blade with the handle of her sword. Crystal drops her mace. She rolls onto her back and Biana stands at her feet. Biana prepares her sword to stab Crystal. Crystal reaches for her mace but her weapon is out of reach. All of a sudden Crystal's mace is sent flying towards her, the chain of it tripping Biana over and making her go flying back. Biana lets go of her weapon and it spins in the air, Biana lands on her back and her sword lands soon after her, right in the middle of her chest. I had forgotten about Crystals telekinetic powers. Crystal stands up and holds her mace by her side. Crystal sees me watching her and starts to walk over to me. I hear a loud scream and turn to see Gene's hand hitting Volker's throat. Gene runs over unsheathing his sword to help Emaidd. Tavara is now preparing to charge again. I give Crystal a signal to go behind him. He starts running and lifts is sword behind his head before he gets to me Crystal hits him in the back with her mace. His sword digs into the ground, as he attempts to pull it out I walk over to him.

"This is for my parents." I say as I cut off one of his arms. He stands growling, "This is for trying to take over the dream world" I say as I finish hacking at his leg he falls to the side. Now missing one arm and one leg he begins to show signs of panic.

"Go ahead kill me, see what I care." He says as he spits blood on the ground near my foot.

"Oh I wouldn't give you the honour of being dead; you're going to spend an eternity in isolation." I look around and see now all of the Stutes elites are dead. Our armies are also doing very well. The enemy's moral has dropped considerably and much of their army is already fled or dead. He make our way back to the rest of the fight, engaging in battle until there is no enemy alive in sight. I stride back to the ridge where Ameya now stands.

"My friends, my fellow soldiers, today we won a battle of not only strength but one of loyalty" everyone cheers, "Heart" everyone cheers "and courage, It is time to return with the injured and wounded, and when we return we return victorious." Everyone cheers. Someone walks over and opens the portal to go home. I usher the troops in and congratulate them as they pass through. When there is only a few left I call gene over and get him to come and help me. We drag Tavara all the way to the portal and then through it. On the other side are official guards waiting to take him somewhere secure. Gene walks off and Emaidd comes over to me and kisses me on the lips.

"Congratulations, we won and it's all thanks to you. Gene told me what happened to Kiva, thanks." She says appreciatively

"Well I needed you alive to tell you something." I reply

"And what would that be?" she asks cheekily

"I really like you Emaidd, a lot."

"I like you too Nathan. Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"Of course. I would be honoured" I say giggling

Then Governor Hammett comes over.

"The entire conclave would like to congratulate you on your fantastic work Nathan, and you even brought back Tavara. I don't think we could have asked you to do it better." He says while patting me on the back. "There will be a celebration tonight in the town hall, there will be dancing so bring a friend." He says while smiling from me to Emaidd and then back to me again.

"Ill see you both later. I'm going to go and get ready for the celebration." Says Emaidd as she starts walking away

"I better go and see to the celebrations plans and check on the wounded and injured to make a final assessment of how many we have lost, excuse me Nathan" and the governor leaves and I find myself alone for the first time in a while. And I realise I've done it, the dream world is safe, I have Emaidd as a girl friend and everything is perfect. I can feel like I belong now, I feel like I have a future.

FIN


End file.
